Untamed Cravings
by destinybringsustogether
Summary: Bella knows that being with Edward is dangerous. Her life is not the only thing at risk. Temptation is a strong reason to give in on cravings and worth the risk... right? AU.
1. Chapter 1

**This is the first time that I give my stories a try in public. I hope you guys like it!**

**SM owns everything twilight..**

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><p>Wyoming 1888<p>

Edward stretched his arms over his head and then scratched his bare stomach as he yawned. He walked to the small barn and went to work feeding his horse and milk cow and cleaning out their stalls.

"Gotta head to town today Trigger. We got some furs that we gotta sell and some supplies we need to buy." Edward patted the black gelding on the neck and then walked back out into the sunlight.

He listened to the birds singing in the trees and the bees coming to life and buzzing around the tiny wildflowers starting to bloom. He bent his head to sniff himself and then wrinkled his nose in disgust. One thing was for sure; before he went to town, he needed a bath.

He went back into the two room cabin and grabbed a clean pair of buckskin trousers and a fringed buckskin shirt. He grabbed his homemade yellow soap and headed down the path to the clear mountain lake.

He could smell the water and the sweetness of the wildflowers. He pulled off his boots and his buckskin pants and dove headfirst into the calm water.

He came up cursing and gasping for air as he realized that the water was colder then he had thought it would be. He shook his head sending water droplets flying from his shoulder length black hair and swam back toward shore. The cold water making his body come alive and working out the soreness that three days cooped up in his cabin had caused.

He pulled himself halfway out of the water on the rocky outcrop and grabbed his soap. Once he was sure that most of the stink was washed off of him, he climbed out of the water and let the sun dry his tan skin. He used his fingers to comb out his hair and then pulled on his clothes. He sighed as he headed back to his small cabin to get his furs.

He hated going to town and avoided it whenever possible. His half Blackfoot Indian heritage, coupled with his hatred of modern clothing made him a target for snobby looks and rude comments. Edward had never met his Blackfoot mother or her family. She had left her tribe to be with his father and then had died of fever shortly after giving birth to Edward

Edward's father, James, had died when Edward was twelve and Edward had been living alone in his cabin and looking after himself for the last fourteen years. He strapped his rifle to his back, tied his knives to his legs, grabbed his pile of fox furs and headed back out to saddle Trigger.

"Hi there Edward. It's been awhile since you've been to town." Tyler Hornsby said as Edward walked into the mercantile. Edward nodded as he walked up to the counter and laid his furs down.

"I've been busy hunting." Edward replied simply. He liked Tyler Hornsby. Tyler was like most of the long time residents of town that knew and welcomed Edward despite his appearance and heritage. It was the newcomers who looked down their noses at him.

"I can see you've been hunting. Looks like you did pretty well." Tyler replied, nodding down at the large stack of fox furs.

"Yes." Edward replied. Tyler shook his head and began counting out the money for Edward's furs. Edward had never been one to talk much. He rarely said more then five or six words at a time and he never said anything unless he felt it needed to be said.

"I need some supplies." Edward said as Tyler handed him his money. Edward gave Tyler the list of everything he needed and Tyler nodded.

"Alright Edward, give me an hour or so to get all of this rounded up. You got a wagon?"

"Yes. My cart is out front."

"Alrighty, I'll get it ready." Edward left the mercantile and walked down the road toward Sue's boarding house. He needed a haircut and Sue Thompson had been cutting his hair for as long as he could remember. His attention was drawn to the stagecoach as it pulled to a stop outside of the hotel in front of him.

He turned his head and was going to continue on his way when a feminine gasp reached his ear. He turned just in time to see a mass of blue fabric and dark hair tumbling out of the side of the coach. Edward jumped off the boardwalk and caught the woman in his arms.

Bella had been in such a rush to get away from her husband that she had not paid much attention to where she was placing her feet and had missed the step on the side of the coach altogether. She gasped as she felt nothing but empty space beneath her foot and tumbled headfirst out of the carriage.

She squeezed her eyes tight and braced herself for the pain she knew she would feel when suddenly she felt two strong, hard arms catch her in mid air and hold her tight. Her rescuer placed her feet on the ground but kept his arms wrapped tight around her and her face was pressed against his rock hard chest. His shirt was soft and smooth against her cheek. He smelled like soap and horse and there was another scent. A purely masculine scent. Bella felt her body stir in response to being in his arms and she had not yet even seen his face!

She pulled her head from his chest just enough to look up at him and she gasped again and covered her mouth with her hand. He was an Indian! He was a very handsome Indian. He had long, thick black hair, tan skin, high, sharp cheekbones and a long straight nose. His lips were firm and set in a thin line as he looked down at her with jade green eyes that were as intense as a hawk's. The color of his eyes made her realize that he must be a half breed.

Bella opened her mouth to thank him for catching her when Michael's arrogant, angry voice came from behind her.

"Get your hands off of my wife you savage!" he said crossly. The man holding her released her quickly and took a step back but Bella could tell by the cold way he stared at Michael and by the way he crossed his muscular arms over his broad chest that he was not intimidated by her husband. She looked over at Nathan and felt that familiar pain in her heart and disgust in her stomach.

She did not love the man. She did not even like him. He was barely six feet tall and everything about his appearance was light. He was light skinned, light haired and had light blue eyes. His body was thin and soft and his face was more that of a boy then a man despite the fact that he was thirty years old. The lightness of the outside did not match the dark evil that lurked beneath the surface.

"Michael, do not be so cross with him." Bella said jumping to her rescuers defense. "I am afraid that my clumsiness got the better of me and I would have fallen on the ground and been hurt if not for his quick action." Michael grabbed her by the upper arm, his fingers squeezing tightly and bruising her skin through the thin satin fabric of her dress.

She bit the inside of her lip to keep from crying out as he pulled her to him.

"You should be more careful of where you step." he said keeping his voice light. "Thank you for catching my wife sir." Michael said turning his attention back to the Indian.

"No problem." the man replied. Bella noticed that his voice was just as hard as the rest of him.

"Can I get your name?" Michael asked, deciding that he would complain to the law in town about how the savage had been holding onto his wife.

"Edward." he replied and then he nodded at them both and continued on his way down the boardwalk.

"That was very rude of you." Bella scolded as she yanked her arm away from Michael's grasp.

"You were enjoying his hands on you far too much darling. You need to remember whose wife you are." Michael hissed, his voice as cold as ice. Bella rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest suddenly feeling very cold.

"How can I forget? I am your wife bought and paid for." she replied.

"That's right. Your parents gave you to me to pay off their debts and I own you now." Bella shivered as she thought about all the ways he owned her. For six long months she had been forced to be his wife in every way both day and night.

"We both know why I married you Michael." Bella hissed as she looked up and down the crowded streets. Michael smiled the cold smile that never reached his eyes. The one that let her know just how soulless he truly was.

"That's right and if you do anything to bring me shame or embarrassment I will not only kill you but I will go back to Virginia and pay a visit to your little sister as well." Bella felt her blood turn to ice. She knew he was telling the truth. His constant beatings had taught her that he was capable of terrible violence and she had no doubt that he was capable of murder as well.

"I'm tired." she said turning away from him. He chuckled proudly and wrapped a possessive arm around her waist.

"Allow me to get us a room then my darling. After being cooped up on the train and the stage coach for the last few weeks, I am more than ready to have some time alone with you."


	2. Chapter 2

WARNING: CONTAINS REFERENCE TO RAPE. This is a strong chapter.

SM owns everything...

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><p>Two days later Edward was sitting on the rocks looking down into the clear water of the lake. He cursed when an image of the woman from the stagecoach appeared on the waters still surface. He picked up a stone and threw it at the water sending the image away on a hundred tiny ripples.<p>

For some reason her image had haunted him for two days and nights. He was not sure why. She was a beautiful woman with her soft body, thick dark hair, big brown eyes and full pink lips but Edward had never been one to become obsessed with a woman's beauty. No, there was something else about her that had him thinking of her constantly.

Holding her in his arms had just felt… right. And the scared look in her eyes when her husband had grabbed her arm haunted him. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with the woman and he couldn't explain it but he wanted to protect her.

Edward had always been a loner and had lived a very solitary life. He never worried about things that were not his business and that made him even more confused that his thoughts were occupied with the dark haired beauty with the scared eyes.

A rustling in the bushes to his left drew his attention and he laid a hand on one of the large knives on his leg. He listened closely and then smiled when he heard the panting behind him.

"You are getting louder Jake." he said. "You are not very good at sneaking." Edward turned his head and the big gray wolf walked over and sat down beside him on the rock and he could have sworn that the canine grinned. Edward looked back out over the water as the two sat side by side, each of them as still as a stone statue.

Edward had found Jake as a puppy. Jake had been injured from what looked like a mountain lion and Edward had nursed him back to health and in doing so had made a lifelong friend. Jake never went too far from the cabin and on more than one occasion had even followed Hawke into town which always caused quite a stir.

Suddenly Jake growled low in his throat and his head whipped around in the direction of the cabin. Edward understood the sign that he had a visitor and he rose in one fluid motion and started down the trail.

"Anybody here?" he heard a male voice call out as he drew closer and when he stepped into the clearing his cabin sat in he saw the man from the stage coach sitting on a brown mare and looking around.

"What do you want?" Edward asked. Michael's head whipped around and his eyes widened when he saw Edward standing there with a large gray wolf at his side. He wasn't sure which of the two looked more wild or whose eyes had more intensity in them as they glared at him.

"I hope it's okay that I stopped by since we are neighbors now." Edward's eyes narrowed as he looked up at the man.

"Neighbors?" he asked. Michael nodded.

"I bought some land that touches up against yours. Benjamin Yale in town told me that you were an okay man and I felt I should stop by and apologize for the way I acted in town the other day at the stagecoach. With us being neighbors and all, I figure it's best to be on good terms." Michael cast another nervous glance down at the wolf as it stood beside Edward and stared at him.

"Is that thing safe?" Edward asked, his nervousness plain to hear in his voice. Edward shrugged.

"Safe for me." he replied simply. Edward nodded. Clearly his new neighbor wasn't much of a talker and he clearly thought he was better than Michael which made Michael's temper flare but he worked hard to hold it back. Between the deadly looking savage and that wolf beside him they could easily make short work of him if they took the notion.

"I was hoping that since we're neighbors now I might be able to hire you to help me out a little."

"Help you what?" Edward asked as he laid his hand on Jake's head to make the canine stand down. Edward was surprised by just how agitated Jake was by this man's presence. Jake's reaction was all Edward needed to see in order to be certain that Michael was not a good man.

"I need some help building my wife and I a cabin. My wife is good at many things…" Michaeld said raising his eyebrows suggestively and tempting Edward to give Jake the 'kill' command. "But building cabins is not one of those things."

"I don't think…" Michael held up his hand.

"Don't turn me down just yet." he said quickly. "I would pay you well and I would owe you a favor. You never know when you might need some help around here." Edward looked the man up and down and was tempted to tell him to go to hell. Edward had been surviving on his own for a long time and he did not need anyone for anything.

Then an image of the dark haired woman flashed through his mind and he knew that in order to ease his own mind he needed to spend time around her and this Michael. He needed to see for himself that she was okay with her husband. Though what happened between a husband and a wife was none of his business there was something about the look that had been in her brown eyes that had him wanting to protect her.

"Where are you building your cabin?" Edward asked and Michael smiled.

"A few hours ride east. There is a clearing with a river running alongside of it and a big mountain to the north." Edward nodded. He knew the place and he had also known that it would be several hours of riding away because Edward owned all the land for miles.

"I'll help." he said simply. Michael nodded. He had asked around town and was told that Edward Masen was the best man to have helping you when you were out in these woods. He had been told that even though Edward had been living among whites his whole life, he was still more savage then he was white and knew everything there was to know about surviving out in this land.

Michael had hated moving away from civilization but the laws were getting stricter on what was allowed to take place between a husband and a wife and he had wanted to get as far away from those laws as possible. The way he treated his wife was his business and no one elses. Out here he would be able to do as he wished and there would be no one to stand in his way.

"Can you meet me in town tomorrow morning after dawn and bring your big cart?" Michael asked nodding toward the cart which was parked by the barn. Edward nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow then." Michael said as he tipped the bowler hat on his head. When Edward just nodded again, Michael quickly turned his horse and started the long ride back toward town. He hoped he hadn't made a mistake by asking Edward for help. But then again why would a savage care how he lived his life?

Bella sighed with boredom as she laid the blue calico fabric down on the table and stretched out her aching fingers. She stood from her chair and walked to the window. She looked out at the dreary day and wished she could go for a walk. She wondered how long it would take before Michael came back. She was under strict instructions not to leave the hotel without him.

She needed to get some more fabric to finish her dress and she wondered if she had enough time to go down to the mercantile and then make it back to the hotel before he got back. She had no idea where he had gone but she had watched him ride out of town hours ago and she knew he wasn't back yet because his first stop would have been the hotel to make sure she was obeying him.

"He cannot keep me locked up in here like a prisoner." she said a loud to the empty room. The clock ticking on the wall was the only response she got. She smoothed out her blue satin dress, took a deep breath to calm her nerves and walked out of the room.

She practically ran down the boardwalk to the mercantile and the sleepy store keep looked startled when she ran in.

"Can I help you ma'am?" he asked. "Is it raining outside?" he added looking out the door. Bella shook her head.

"No it is not raining. Why do you ask?" she replied walking to the back corner where the fabrics were kept. Great Valley wasn't a big enough town to have a dressmakers shop and therefore the mercantile was the only place to get fabrics. He had a few dresses already made for sale but Michael would never let her have enough money to buy them. He insisted that she make her own clothing and she didn't mind. It gave her something to do while she was locked away in their hotel room.

"Well ma'am the way you came running in here, I thought maybe it was raining." Tyler replied with a chuckle. He had only met this woman once before and he realized that she seemed just as skittish and nervous today as she had when she had come in with her husband.

"I was just stretching my legs." she replied quickly. Bella quickly found the blue calico fabric and carried it up to the store keep.

"I need a few yard of this." she said. Tyler could tell she was in a hurry so he quickly cut her off several yards.

"That will be one dollar." he said. Bella reached into her pocket and pulled out several coins, laying them on the counter to avoid touching hands with this man. She would be in enough trouble if Michael caught her outside of their room. She didn't need to make it worse by having physical contact with a man.

"Thank you." she said as she stuck the fabric under her arm and quickly left the store. She was almost back to the hotel when she felt a hand grab her shoulder roughly. Michael's fingers dug into her tender skin as his hot breath blew against the back of her neck and made her shiver with fear.

"What are you doing out of the room darling?" Bella felt her lip quivering with fear.

"I..I was j..just getting some new f..fabric." she replied. Michael pushed her forward and she walked stiff legged on her shaking knees into the hotel and up to their room. Once he had shut the door she turned to apologize but his hand caught her sharply across the cheek and she collapsed on the floor.

"Please Michael! I did nothing wrong. I just got some fabric." she said shakily as she pointed to the fabric laying in the floor. Michael's eyes narrowed.

"You did nothing wrong?" he demanded as he kicked her in the legs. She pulled her legs into her chest as she laid on her side on the floor and sobbed. "You left this room even though I told you not to. You broke the rules." he reminded her.

"I'm sorry."

"I know you're sorry." Michael said grabbing her by the hair and pulling her to her feet. "There is only one way to make me forgive you darling. We must make up. We can't go to bed angry." He threw her down in the bed and her sobs grew louder.

"No Michael, please." she begged. Michael brought his fist down hard on her face dazing her and causing pain and light to explode inside her head.

"You are my wife!" Michael said with anger flashing in his blue eyes as he held her arms down on the bed with one cold hand and used his free hand to part her legs and pull down her underclothes. "You will lay here quietly and do your duty!" Bella knew that trying to stop him was pointless. She had tried the first few weeks.. .She had fought with everything she had to keep him from touching her and it had done no good.

She lay there silently beneath him and sobbed against her closed eyelids as he grunted and panted and shoved himself inside of her. The longer she lived as Michael's wife, the more appealing the thought of death became.

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><p>Please leave me your reviews! =]<p> 


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